Sewer Jack
"So there I was, face-to-face with four ratmen. I made peace with Morr, figuring they was gonna gut me right then, but nope, they just hissed and scurried past. Last time I ever go down there alone." Basic (AoM) The Sewer Jacks are a specialised force, under the command of the City Watch, whose purpose is to keep the sewer system and the Undercity (see AoM p. 28) secure. A certain amount of courage is required to police the fetid tunnels beneath Middenheim, but the Sewer Jacks are less choosy in their recruiting policy than the other armed forces – partly because there is nearly always a shortage of volunteers for this dangerous and unpleasant duty. A typical patrol of Sewer Jacks is 6-8 strong. Note: If you are rolling randomly for your Starting Career, you can substitute Sewer Jack for Watchman with your GM’s permission. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail or Secret Signs (Scout), Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Search or Swim, Silent Move Talents: Quick Draw or Resistance to Disease, Tunnel Rat Trappings: Crossbow with 10 bolts, Lantern, Light Armour (Leather Jack) Career Entries Jailer, Militiaman, Peasant, Rat Catcher, Shieldbreaker, Watchman Career Exits Mercenary, Rat Catcher, Sergeant, Shieldbreaker, Smuggler, Veteran, Watchman The Life of a Sewer Jack In medium-sized towns, sewer jacks work in teams of two or three, clearing blockages and burning off pockets of explosive gas. Cities employ larger teams of up to eight jacks, because their sprawling sewers are often inhabited by giant rats and other creatures. Small towns and villages do not have sewers; waste is simply discarded in streets, rivers, or cisterns. Sewer maintenance is neither healthy nor glamourous. Prolonged exposure to the bad air and filth causes stomach and lung ailments. If a section of sewer ductwork is damaged, stonemasons may be commissioned to repair it, but the dirty, everyday maintenance work is handled by sewer jacks. The stench relentlessly clings to flesh and hair, even after bathing. In cities with tunnels and catacombs intersecting the sewer system, sewer jacks are responsible for driving out squatters, criminals, and even skaven. These exploits comprise most of the sewer jacks’ barroom tales, but few Old Worlders are willing to believe them. Surely the ruins of an elven city couldn’t possibly exist right below their feet. Rats that walk and talk like men? Children’s fantasies. The public’s fear, skepticism, and denial often prevent sewer jacks from gaining the recognition they deserve. The Fauschlag Delvers Beneath the city of Middenheim is a tunnel network so expansive that whole sections remain unexplored to this day. Following the Storm of Chaos, the city’s rulers decided that a troublesome skaven stronghold within the mountain must finally be exterminated. To this end, the local sewer jacks were absorbed into the Middenheim army as a special regiment, called the Fauschlag Delvers. Dwarven sappers and tunnel fighters were attached to every unit and even battle mages from Altdorf were recruited. The Fauschlag Delvers received training and equipment superior to any sewer jack company in the Old World. The Delvers escalated their campaign when scouts reported vague sightings of a massive technological device within the skaven stronghold. At their peak, the Delvers conducted dozens of raids each day. But major operations ended following a massive explosion that rocked the under-city, killing over half of the Delvers along with hundreds of their skaven foes. Sections of the city still remain unstable from the blast. Does the skaven Clan Skryre retain sufficient power to unleash its mysterious “Project Supremacy” in Middenheim, or was the Doom Hemisphere irreparably damaged? The Fauschlag Delvers’ sacrifice has boosted public esteem for the sewer jack profession in Middenland. Mercenaries from across the province now travel to Middenheim for enlistment.